(AllHipHop News) Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee is set to be behind the camera for a film adaptation for the Broadway show David Byrne’s American Utopia. Participant will be the lead financier and executive producer for the movie.
“Pinch me. This couldn’t have worked out better for this project,” said Byrne in a statement. The former Talking Heads lead singer continued, “Spike Lee directing and Participant producing — two socially engaged teams, well, three if you count us in the band, coming together in what I feel will be something moving, important, and unlike anything anyone has seen before.”
David Byrne’s American Utopia opened in October 2019. The show features Byrne and eleven musical artists from around the world performing songs from Byrne’s 2018 American Utopia album, his other solo records, and the Talking Heads’ discography.
“American Utopia is a true celebration from a great artist and a beautiful reminder to our nation that we are all born barefoot and wearing the same suit,” said Participant CEO David Linde. “We are incredibly excited to work with Mr. Byrne and the incomparable Spike Lee, along with RadicalMedia, River Road and Warner Music Group in bringing this one-of-a-kind event out of the theater to audiences around the world.”
Spike Lee won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (BlacKkKlansman). He also received an Honorary Award from the Academy in 2016. The Atlanta-born, Brooklyn-raised film legend has directed other movies such as Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, and Inside Man.
David Byrne is an Oscar (Best Original Score – The Last Emperor), Golden Globe (Best Original Score – The Last Emperor), and Grammy winner (Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media – The Last Emperor). He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Talking Heads in 2002.
